Method and system for mutual augmentation of a motivational printing awareness platform and recommendation-enabled printing drivers

Abstract

This disclosure provides a method and system to promote the reduction of an environmental impact by one or more users of a printing system. According to an exemplary embodiment, a printing system includes a motivational platform and an operatively associated printer driver, the motivational platform recording the historical print activity of a plurality of users associated with a group and communicating the historical print activity to the print driver which is configured to provide an active user recommended selectable printer settings for a print job, prior to being submitted, which are based on best practices within the group.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]This disclosure provides a method and system to promote the reduction of an environmental impact by one or more users of a printing system. According to an exemplary embodiment, a printing system includes a motivational platform and an operatively associated printer driver, the motivational platform recording the historical print activity of a plurality of users associated with a group and communicating the historical print activity to the print driver which is configured to provide an active user recommended selectable printer settings for a print job, prior to being submitted, which are based on best practices within the group.[0002]To face ongoing global warming issues and in general to promote sustainable development, a number of tools have been developed that help people to assess the impact of their behavior. These tools are often referred to as carbon dioxide calculators. They collect input, either automatically or from the user, and provide a measure of how m...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]In one embodiment of this disclosure, described is a computer-implemented method of operating a printing system to promote the reduction of an environmental impact by a user of the printing system, the printing system including one or more printing devices, one or more user devices operatively associated with the printing devices, one or more print drivers operatively associated with the one or more printing devices and the one or more user devices, each print driver configured to provide to a user device one or more available user selectable printer settings and one or more recommended user selectable printer settings associated with printing the print job, and a motivational platform operatively associated with the one or more printing devices and the one or more print drivers, the motivational platform configured to record and communicate to the one or more printer devices a printing activity of the one or more users and the one or more user selectable printer settings associated with the historical printing activity, the method comprising: a) one of the user devices providing a print job to the print driver to be printed by one of the printing devices; b) the print driver providing the one or more available user selectable printer settings for display to the user on a display associated with the user device and the one or more recommended user selectable printer settings associated with the print job, the one or more recommended user selectable printer settings originating from the motivational platform and associated with one or both of the historical printing activity of the user and a historical printing activity of one or more other users of the printing system; c) the user configuring the one or more printer settings for printing the print job; d) the print driver communicating the print job and user configured one or more printer settings to the printing device; e) the print driver communicating to the motivational platform information associated with the print job communicated to the printing device, the information including a user identifier, a print job identifier, the one or more recommended user selectable printer settings, and the one or more user configured printer settings; and f) the motivational platform storing the communicated information associated with the print job.

Problems solved by technology

Despite their simple mechanism, these tools are very challenging to design in such a way that they provide sufficient incentive to change the user's habits and use of resources.

This is because even if there is a benefit to a cleaner environment, not many are prepared to voluntarily reduce their carbon footprint by changing their habits.

On the other hand, if everyone behaves in an exploitative manner the resource will be damaged to the detriment of all.

Surveys of office workers have found that social pressure can affect the use of certain printing resources (e.g., color devices) by reducing their use to only when strictly necessary.

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